A wreath of stars [Hardcover]

Bob Shaw (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1977

Thornton's Planet is an anti-neutrino planet detected on its approach to Earth. It can be seen only through the newly developed magniluct lenses and its arrival causes a wave of panic. When its course carries it past the earth, interest in Thornton's Planet wanes. Then comes news from the African state of Barandi. Miners wearing magniluct lenses have seen ghosts in the mine passages. The visit of Thornton's Planet has had effects on Earth further-ranging than anyone could have imagined

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 185 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385124635
• ISBN-13: 978-0385124638
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,324,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars "Science? We don't need any stinking science!", September 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Wreath of Stars (Mass Market Paperback)

Should science fiction be more about scientific accuracy or should it emphasise the fiction department? Bob Shaw has devised an interesting compromise: forget them both and try to fill the gap with loads of sense-of-wonder.

In "A Wreath of Stars" a planet made completely out of neutrinos (or something like that) passes by Earth, and though it has little effect on the physical universe (as you know, neutrinos don't interact easily with other particles), it does reveal the existence of another neutrino planet inside our own globe. A playboy nuclear scientist and an aeroplane engineer end up studying this underground World called Avernus and succeed in making contact with its inhabitants. Hampered by political inconveniences and lack of time, they struggle to save Avernians from being extinct by the inevitable planetary catastrophe caused by the other planet mentioned earlier.

Sure, the plot isn't exactly intriguing and the cardboard-characters don't help. But what bugs me the most is Shaw's habit of bypassing scientific explanations while trying to amaze readers with weird ideas. And it's not just that he chooses not to use science, on the contrary: the novel is seemingly based on particle physics, but somewhere along the way Shaw simply switches to Star Trek science with parallel universes and non-existent particles. Pathetic.

(Okay, this was my subjective opinion. If you REALLY liked Orbitsville, you might get something out of this one too. Just don't get your hopes up.)

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An interesting idea surrounded by a dull story., April 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Wreath of Stars (Mass Market Paperback)

An American engineer discovers strange occurrences in another country. Native residents report seeing ghost like figures in underground mine shafts. Curiously, these incidents begin immediately following an odd astronomical event involving a planetary collision between earth and an unknown world. The engineer becomes involved in an investigation of a possible connection between the sightings and the collision. The story begins promising enough, but quickly gets bogged down in a subplot involving uninteresting political unrest in the foreign country. I suppose it was used to create some suspense, which it definitely does not. The book ends neatly and quickly, and ultimately disappointingly. Very, very far from the excitement created in Ragged Astronauts. Skip this one.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An interesting idea surrounded by a dull story., April 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Wreath of Stars (Mass Market Paperback)

An American engineer discovers strange occurrences in another country. Native residents report seeing ghost like figures in underground mine shafts. Curiously, these incidents begin immediately following an odd astronomical event involving a planetary collision between earth and an unknown world. The engineer becomes involved in an investigation of a possible connection between the sightings and the collision. The story begins promising enough, but quickly gets bogged down in a subplot involving uninteresting political unrest in the foreign country. I suppose it was used to create some suspense, which it definitely does not. The book ends neatly and quickly, and ultimately disappointingly. Very, very far from the excitement created in Ragged Astronauts. Skip this one.